USCIS will begin accepting petitions for H-1B visas for fiscal year 2014
beginning on April 1, 2013. This year, it is expected that USCIS will
receive more than 65,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions and more than 20,000
petitions filed for people with U.S. master’s degrees or higher within
the first five days of the H-1B acceptance period. Because of this
expected increase in submissions, USCIS is temporarily adjusting when it
will begin premium processing of cap-subject H-1B petitions (including
those from people requesting a master’s degree exemption). Premium
processing will begin on April 15, 2013.
According to USCIS, the federal agency will continue to accept Form
I-907, the Request for Premium Processing Service, and its related fee,
concurrently with Form I-129, the Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker
during the time period in which premium processing is not available
(April 1, 2013 – April 14, 2013). Additionally, petitioners will be able
to upgrade pending H-1b cap-subject petitions to premium processing
after a receipt notice has been issued. The 15-day processing period
will begin when premium processing begins on April 15, 2013. Premium
processing for H-1B visa petitions not subject to the annual cap will
continue as normal.
